U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,779 discloses a modular electrical connector assembly of a type which is commonly used for splicing the wires in the ends of telephone cables to each other. The connector assembly in its simplest form comprises an intermediate body section having oppositely directed major surfaces and having electrical terminals extending through the body section which project beyond the major surfaces. Wire cutters are provided in the terminal ends so that wires can be moved laterally of their axes, into the wire-receiving slots of the terminals, and past the cutting edges of the wire cutters. The ends of the wires are thus trimmed when the connector is installed on the wire ends. The above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,779 also describes a tool of the type used by cable splicers which tool has wire jigs or fixtures for locating the wires in alignment with the terminals in the connector and which also has a ram device for assembling cover members to the connector body. An advantageous feature of modular connectors of this type is also that tap-type connections can be made by using an additional body section.
Connectors of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,779 are widely used in the communications industry for cable splicing operations. Cables can be spliced in a relatively short time with connectors of this type and, after the cables are spliced, it is a relatively simple matter to carry out any subsequent repairs or testing which might be required. The individual connectors can be inspected and tested for any ineffective electrical connections if problems are encountered at a later date. Furthermore, the fact that tap-type connections can be made with the same connector components as are used for simple splicing operations is highly advantageous in that all of the operations required in the installation of communications cables, splicing and tap connections, can be carried out with one type of tool and connector components of standardized design.
Connectors of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,779 require that the electrical terminals used to connect the wires to each other be separate from the cutting blades which are employed to trim the wire ends at the time of installing the connector on the ends of the cables. Additionally, the moldings required for the connector body or the connector housing are relatively complex. Additionally, four different molded parts are required for a complete connector assembly. It would be desirable to achieve the advantages of the connector system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,779 with terminals and cutters of simplified construction and with fewer molded parts in the connector body than are required with these known connector types. The present invention is directed to a simplified connector assembly in which the wire cutter is integral with the electrical terminals and which requires a reduced number of types of molded parts.